Concern
by XxMeWxX4444
Summary: The rest of the rookie genin were all alive, as were their sensei. He forgot that Sakura's social sphere wasn't as closed as her teammates.
1. Chapter 1

**Concern**

Hatake Kakashi (elite Jōnin of Konohagakure, ex-ANBU Captain, Copy-Nin Kakashi, Kakashi of the Sharingan) appeared in a shunshin at Training Ground 3, hand raised and an absent, "Yo" passing through his lips even as his one revealed eye was trained studiously on page 67 of Icha Icha Paradise, analyzing the diagram of Aiko as she arched in a position most kunoichi would struggle with and-

His genin weren't yelling.

Glancing up, Kakashi started to pout at the lack of a dual screech of, "you're late!" followed by a reluctant grunt of agreement. His childish action was stopped when he actually took stock of the display before him.

Uzumaki Naruto (short, loud, and a painful to look at clone of his parents) and Uchiha Sasuke (a toxic mix of angst, brooding, and revenge) were both gazing at their lone female teammate. Dual looks of incomprehension and faint worry were clouding their features, the latter an emotion Kakashi hadn't realized his little avenger was even capable of feeling. Turning his own gray eye to little Haruno Sakura (obsessive, emotional, and weak-willed) Kakashi resisted the urge to step back.

Yesterday they had all departed in separate directions (Sasuke to train, Naruto for his afternoon dose of ramen, and Sakura with an excuse of chores) but each were fairly healthy if a bit dingy from rolling around in the dirt.

The two boys were still alright, perfectly healthy and fit.

The girl...not so much.

Kakashi honed in on the bandaged hands, his heightened senses taking in the stench of liberal usage of aloe vera. He couldn't see the skin due to the swath of fabric covering from fingertip to a few inches past her wrists. There was a disturbingly pale cast to the preteen's features, the minuscule smile ( _fake fake fake_ ) doing nothing to hide the pained winces from slipping through her facade. She had changed outfits too, her qipao dress replaced with a baggy red shirt and long pants.

Seeing as Kakashi had not taken a mission past D-rank after the disastrous Chūnin Exams, there was no way for Sakura to sport an injury. She had not challenged Sasuke's Katon jutsu in unsupervised training - judging from the Uchiha's blatant confusion, anyway - so there was only one area where she could sustain any burns.

Her own home.

"Sakura-chan." He put a questioning lilt to his voice even as he kept his tone level, his posture nonchalant and his entire body radiating a calm, non-threatening aura. He thought she was the normal one, the one with a good home, with no emotional baggage or traumatic past. She was supposed to be the one they protected, the one Team 7 prevented from experiencing the pains they all shouldered. As always, it looked like Kakashi was too late to stop it.

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei?"

Her voice was too practiced. His gaze narrowed. This had been going on for awhile. Years, most likely. She had already reigned in any discomfort from the pain, setting it aside and turning her fake smile into a grin reminiscent to her usual cheer. Naruto flinched, horror crossing his whiskered visage. Of course he would, he knew what it was like to put up a mask. He could easily recognize one.

"What happened to your hands?"

Sakura's eyes flicked away and then down, consciously resisting an urge to ball her fists after another imperceptible wince. "Just an accident with the iron. I was a bit clumsy." A fake laugh joined the lie and now even Sasuke was tense.

The boy was degrading, rude and insulting, but even he knew Sakura was no klutz. She had good balance, good chakra control, and steady hands. She would never be a straight brawler like Naruto, or a battering ram like Sasuke, but she was as graceful and precise as a well-honed blade. She didn't make mistakes like that.

Kakashi hummed, saying nothing as he shot a glance at Naruto and Sasuke. They were watching him now, evaluating his actions even as they took quick glances at the pink haired girl. "Boys, training's cancelled today. Sakura, we're going to the hospital."

The trio watched as she blanched, her pale face now going absolutely sickly. "N-no, I'm fine! Really, this is nothing I haven't dealt with before."

Contrary to her reassurances, her words only made the other members of Team 7 more anxious because that-

That was fear.

 _What has her terrified of the hospital?_ Kakashi wondered. He paused for a moment, taking a second to think of his internal question before adjusting it. _Other than the nurses, the pseudo-prison sentence, and the disgusting food._

 _Well,_ a little voice in the back of his head interjected, _hospital records are accessible by family._

Kakashi loved that little voice.

"Maa. Run along you two." Kakashi ordered, his voice stern. The boys sent a dubious look his way before glancing at one another and cautiously retreating from the training grounds. After a few moments where Kakashi watched Sakura twitch, the Jōnin sighed. "You don't want this in your records."

Sakura flinched. "Um, not really."

"Your parents check to see if you receive medical attention." He stated blandly, not so much a question as a statement.

The girl looked down at the ground, her bangs falling over her eyes. "My mother does, yes."

"And your father?"

Sakura glanced away uncomfortably, notable grief clouding her features. "Papa died during the invasion."

Kakashi took a quick, silent breath. He hadn't known. He was relieved that his students had simply survived (the Ichibi jinchūriki was not a simple enemy) he hadn't even thought of them facing the horror of knowing casualties. The rest of the rookie genin were all alive, as were their sensei. He forgot that Sakura's social sphere wasn't as closed as her teammates.

"Aa. Is that why things have gotten worse?"

Sakura was slowly relaxing. Kakashi wasn't known for conversation - in fact his comrades would most likely describe him as 'socially deficient' - but he knew that this was a delicate situation. The lecture on abusive situations and how to handle them was one of the few that he had listened to because-

Well, no child should be afraid of their own home. Kakashi himself may not have been abused - not by Hatake Sakumo, not until he had found his father's cold, dead body splayed across the floor of the clan compound he no longer registered existed - but he remembered C-rank missions no six year old should have handled. He remembered ANBU missions at fourteen where he committed more murders than Uchiha Itachi during his infamous night of familicide. Maybe that was exaggerating, maybe that was making light of how terrible it was to be abused by the ones who were supposed to love you unconditionally in comparison to Kakashi's own horrors, but- _but_.

Emerald eyes glanced up, shaded by pale pink bangs and glistening faintly with unshed tears and Kakashi took back his assessment of weak-willed because what child could possibly be as cheerful as Sakura portrayed herself to be without a spine of steel? Kakashi was always dubiously questioned on why he was still sane, why he hadn't followed his father's path after the hell that was his life, but now _Kakashi_ was the one questioning how Sakura survived. He didn't know how horrible it was at home, how bad the situation truly was, but the girl in front of him was automatically a survivor just for _living through it_.

"My neighbor's a medic-nin." Kakashi offered quietly.

The genin paused, analyzing Kakashi's words before looking up at him hopefully. "No hospital?"

"No hospital."

He held up his hand invitingly, waiting as Sakura nervously stared at him for a few seconds before accepting it, putting both her hand and her trust in his palm. He would hold to his words because the Jōnin may be socially defunct, but he tried as much as he could to protect his loved ones. His genin - this little wisp of a girl, a determined avenger, and a jinchūriki that looked too much like his parents - had already clawed their way into his heart by the time they challenged Momochi Zabuza in an effort to save his hide with only three weeks of training and their own determination.

So he would do all he could to protect him, and give hell to any who tried to damage them.

He would be speaking to the Hokage about Haruno Mebuki later that afternoon but first, he had a genin to care for.

* * *

 **Notes**

I, personally, am not in an abusive household and have not experienced the situation myself so this is all from an outside perspective and not meant to offend or belittle anyone's horrible experiences. On that note, I urge you to _get help_ if you need it and are able.

This isn't KakaSaku in any way, this is purely a mentor fic.


	2. Chapter 2

**Confession**

Kakashi stared at where his student sat on his bed. It was the only place to sit in his tiny one-room apartment and he resigned himself to the intrusion into his private space. Sakura was wringing her hands together nervously even as she marveled at her healed skin and kept her silence. Mariko-san had sent him a pitying, sympathetic look, but she had otherwise healed the burns without comment when he had knocked on her door. Kakashi resolved to buying the woman a box of dango in thanks whenever he next avoided an appointment and wandered around Konoha without destination.

"So…" Kakashi rose an eyebrow at Sakura's nervous squeak at his sudden voice before focusing most of his attention on his treasured book. Then he realized he was reading porn, in his room, with only a twelve year old girl as company. He quickly shut Icha Icha Paradise, a tinkling of embarrassment encroaching upon the distant corners of his mind. Glancing fleetingly at his bookshelf, the Jōnin internally cursed his literary taste in adult material before resigning himself to act upon the problem he was trying to avoid. "Do you want to talk about it?"

He withheld a wince. Kakashi wasn't known for being the comforting, attentive sensei - that was Kurenai's shtick - but even he knew addressing the girl with his usual bland tone wasn't his best move.

Luck seemed to be on his side though, because for some reason Sakura found that prompt good enough to respond to. "I...do I have to?"

Going for a light hearted demeanor, Kakashi closed his eyes in a parody of his usual smile. "Would it make you feel better? I could get that Yamanaka girl or-"

Sakura glanced up quickly, emerald eyes wide, "No! No, I...please don't tell Ino…" She trailed off with a shaky sigh, knuckles turning white as she griped her hands together tightly. Taking a fortifying breath, Sakura looked off to the side and began speaking.

"It...wasn't so bad when papa was alive. Just yelling, pretty much. She'd tell me how to dress and how to act, how I'd need to find a good husband in the future and that being a ninja would get me enough of an income until I could...until I could 'fill my role like a traditional female'. P-papa didn't really like it, he's the one who told me to be a ninja because I _wanted_ to be, and told me that he was happy as long as _I_ was happy and that he knew I'd be really strong and wouldn't _need_ a husband so I should just focus on training but mama- but _mother_ never really approved so I tried doing both but then she'd nag me about my forehead and about my clothes and that I was 'looking too butch, dear, you need to go on a diet' so I did but then Iruka-sensei was disappointed because I couldn't do the kata as good anymore and I didn't know what to _do_ but then the invasion happened and papa was _dead_ , he was _gone_ , and now only mother's there and, and, and- Kakashi-sensei what do I do?! Mother _hurt_ me and it only happened after we got the news about papa but it _keeps happening_ and it's getting worse and she's a civilian so I can't fight back but _I don't know what to do_!"

Kakashi stared, wide-eyed, at his hyperventilating student. She had started off with a stuttering, slow rendition but as she continued she had sped up and up until it was a garbled mess of words and tears that he was luckily able to understand but-

The Jōnin crouched down in front of the girl, hand gently raising to pat her bowed head even as he listened to her sobs. He let out a soft sigh as she tried to speak again. This was probably the first time she had told _anyone_ about what was happening at home and while it was a lot better than what he expected (her long pants were still sending off warning bells in his mind), it explained several things. The Haruno family were civilians and Sakura's mother was a strong example of how civilian life and the life of a shinobi did not mesh well. As an only daughter Sakura was expected to be married off, and married _well_ , so that the Haruno's maintained a good standing with the rest of the village. Mebuki was trying to push the girl into the role of a stereotypical, traditional wife without care for the girl's kunoichi status. Sakura was caught in a divide between being a strong, independent kunoichi and a dutiful, benevolent civilian daughter and the girl was struggling to find a balance between two antithesis. Kunoichi were _not_ model wives. They were killers, they were deadly, and they were not women who would come to heel at their husband's demand. For Kakashi, who was the last of the Hatake clan but he was _still_ a shinobi's child, this was a respected, _expected_ attitude for women to have. It was a point of _pride_ , because while women usually left their positions on the field to care for their children, they were still the last line of defense and there was no shinobi who wanted a weak shield between the enemy and their offspring.

For a civilian husband, though, a kunoichi would go against every customary stance women held throughout their society. Civilian wives were supposed to be gentle, passive and below the roles of their husbands. They were supposed to maintain the household, birth and care for the children, and slip into the background while their _betters_ (their husbands) handled business.

Kunoichi were supposed to be strong, to stand out and _against_ any opposition and to lay waste to any threat against their homes and loved ones.

No wonder Sakura's personality flip-flopped so violently. He'd have to speak with Inoichi, but Kakashi had a suspicion that Sakura held an inner personality that represented all those kunoichi traits. The little girl she normally displayed was sometimes ripped away - usually due to Naruto's actions - and a violent, gruff character rose to the surface. Beforehand he had just thought the girl had had anger management problems and ignored the symptoms but now, well- _well_.

First, he'd have to get Sakura away from the Haruno household. Where she'd go in the meantime, Kakashi failed to calculate, but he had to get her away from that toxic woman and into some therapy. He consciously withheld a shudder at his own assessment - the psych division was a part of the village he had avoided for as long as they had been hounding him - but even he could see that Sakura would need them. She would need to integrate her kunoichi persona into the one she normally displayed and hopefully that would destroy any of the traits Kakashi's shinobi mindset sneered at.

The fanatical, docile, blushing little girl he had been assigned to teach needed to go. He needed the brash, unyielding kunoichi he could spot at random intervals whenever she finally lost her cool and disregarded the civilian wife her mother was trying to instill into her.

Right now he had a sobbing preteen to handle though. He started carding his gloved hand through the short strands that had been choppily cut during the Second Exam, wondering if treating her like one of his ninken would make this awkward experience any easier to handle.

After a time of Sakura's choked breathing being the only sound filling the room, the Jōnin was surprised by a giggle. Raising an eyebrow and absently wondering if she had finally cracked, Kakashi watched as tear-filled green eyes glanced up at him. Her face was a wreck - Sakura was _not_ pretty when she cried - but there was an amused gleam dancing in her eyes and a faint smirk etched upon her wobbling lip. "I'm not a dog, Kakashi-sensei."

Shrugging helplessly, Kakashi retreated with a final pat and spoke dryly, "You're the first crying girl I haven't fled from, so excuse my inexperience."

Another giggle transformed into a snicker before Sakura fell back onto his bed with helpless laughter, clutching at her stomach. Kakashi watched transfixed, wondering bemusedly if all girls were completely insane or if this only happened with the younger ones. A few moments later Sakura let out a long sigh, reaching up to rub at her eyes absently even as they flickered down to Kakashi's still-kneeling form.

"Thanks sensei."

Quirking an eyebrow, Kakashi fell back and crossed his legs. Reaching up to scratch sheepishly at the back of his head, he glanced to the side and began staring at Mr. Ukki, reflecting upon the changes his students had wrought upon his life. "It's no problem."

They descended into silence, Sakura following his stare and seemingly studying the two team photos flanking the lively plant. He should probably re-pot it, an action he had already done once before seeing as Naruto had handed it over in a microwaveable ramen cup.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, Sakura stirred and sat up, leaning her elbows heavily on her knees and balancing her chin on her hands. Seeing as his eye-level was in line with her navel, Kakashi glanced up and froze at the bright smile she was directing his way. Before he could flee - because a crying girl he could kind of, sort of handle but an exuberant Sakura was _touchy_ and he wanted _no_ part of that - the girl had launched herself forward. Thin arms wrapped tightly around his neck and he fell backwards, wincing as his skull met his floor with a hearty _thunk_.

Staring blankly up at his ceiling, Kakashi tried to ignore the twelve year old lying atop him. "Sakura-chan?"

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Get off of me."

"No."

"Why?"

"I'm thanking you."

"Buying me a new book would be more appreciated."

Sakura's voice trembled in embarrassment even as her grip tightened and _wow_ , he was going to be choked out by an snuggly genin. Such a noble death for the Copy-Nin Kakashi, bane of Konohagakure's enemies everywhere. "Sensei! I'm not buying you _porn_! Plus I couldn't anyway, I'm twelve!"

"Hn."

"Don't sound like Sasuke!"

'Sasuke', not 'Sasuke-kun'. That was a change. Then again, Sakura was supposed to be looking for a husband that would leave her well-off and the Haruno family as highly respected so-

"Sakura-chan?"

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei?"

"Are you only obsessed with Sasuke because of your mother?"

There was a telling silence.

"Sakura-"

"Sasuke's the last of the Uchiha." She interjected, raising her face from where she was forcefully pressing it against his vested chest and resisting the hands trying to pry her away.

Resting her chin on him instead, Sakura stared up into his bland, masked face. "He inherited the Uchiha fortunate, right? Plus he wants to restart his clan after he kills his brother so I thought- well, being the Uchiha matriarch is reputable enough, right? And he's pretty, even if his personality leaves a lot to be desired so I-" she cut herself off with a sheepish shrug, "Ino already had a crush on him, and so did a lot of other girls in my class. I just copied them."

Well.

Letting out an explosive sigh at the complications that was his life, Kakashi relaxed and closed his eyes. He ignored Sakura snuggling into him yet again - he had become accustomed to ignoring contact from his students seeing as Naruto decided a forceful hug was guaranteed with every event that seemed to be a happy milestone of his shinobi career. Sasuke thankfully avoided bodily contact as much as Kakashi himself did, but Sakura was a hit or miss. She usually respected his personal bubble, but sometimes _this_ happened and there was no stopping her or tears would be forming and Kakashi's usually guilt-free mind would eat at him.

Damn the female gender entirely.

"You should stop."

Sakura seemed to freeze, her lax body tensing. "What?"

"Stop going after Sasuke. Stop searching for a husband. You're a kunoichi, not a civilian. Your mother is delusional if she believes you can be both."

"But-"

"Sakura. You. Are. A. Kunoichi. This headband is not just a fashion piece, you know. You can't pick and choose when it affects your life, and neither can she." He reached up to flick said item, ignoring her flinch.

"But she- she'll just get _worse_."

Kakashi clenched his jaw. No child should sound terrified of their parents and he wasn't sure if it was the Hatake blood in him howling for the death of a pack betrayer or if it was his own sensibilities as a human being but-

"Then you can stay with me."

"What?"

Indeed, Hatake, _what_?

Kakashi pondered his own foreign impulsiveness. This was the first time in a long, long time that he had spoken without thinking. He always analyzed his words before speaking - though usually it was more to find the most concise way to rile up his companions without wasting his breath. For him to say this, though...well, whatever. It couldn't be _too_ bad, and his subconscious had already decided for him. He was her sensei, he already protected and cared for her wellbeing while on missions. Full time shouldn't be _too_ challenging, right?

"We'll get you emancipated - shouldn't be too hard since you're a genin anyway - and you can move in with me." It wasn't like she had the Uchiha fortune or the Hokage's protection as a jinchūriki like her teammates, after all.

Emerald eyes were dubious, dumbfounded, and disbelieving. Whilst he congratulated himself on a good alliteration, Sakura glanced around his puny apartment, seeming to take it in for the first time, before looking back down at him. "I- you- sensei you can't be serious, what-"

"I wouldn't have said it if I wasn't serious." He assured her. Even if it was a subconscious portion of his brain that had taken control of his mouth and spit out the most impulsive sentence he had said in over a decade, he would stand by his word.

"You don't have room." She finally squeaked out, looking ridiculously overwhelmed and bordering on cautious hope.

Ah, yes, that _would_ be a problem. He was a Jōnin though, an ex-ANBU Captain even, and he was notably cheap if the way his comrades constantly guaranteed he wouldn't skimp out on the bill through their own ninja tactics said anything. His students were still developing the skill to kidnap his wallet before they ate and he consequently disappeared. He did have money, though, and a _lot_ of it. He just never really had a need to spend it. Plus he also had the Hatake clan compound but-

Well, he would evaluate that painful thought at a later time. Hopefully never, actually.

"You need counseling though."

A deadpan stare Kakashi proudly believed she modeled after him was his answer. "What?"

"You have a repressed personality don't you?"

 _Ah, still got it_. He reflected at her reflexive twitch away from him.

"How did you know?" A disbelieving glance accompanied her squeaky response.

"I thought you were bipolar at first, but after that fight with the Yamanaka girl-"

"Ino."

"-and now with the truth about your mother, I can see how it happened. You've been hiding the kunoichi part of yourself behind the civilian daughter your mother wants and there's usually consequences for repressing oneself like that."

"So, I need therapy." She echoed numbly. "Will that even work?"

"Probably. I've been avoiding the psych department since I was six though, so who knows. We can ask Inoichi-san."

"You- you're serious?"

"Perfectly." He hummed, giving her an honest, eye-squinting smile and ignoring the faint trembling he could feel. Really, the girl should get up. This was the most human contact Kakashi had had somewhat willingly since Rin-

Ignoring that painful train of thought, Kakashi focused on another question that had been bouncing around his head. "What's with the outfit change by the way?"

Sakura winced. "Mother destroyed my usual outfit since she said it wasn't getting me any suitors. She said I could just wear this until she got something more 'eye catching'."

Kakashi would eat his left sandal if that new outfit wasn't more sexualized than anything a twelve year old should be wearing. Letting out a long sigh, Kakashi shook his head and pushed at Sakura's shoulders once more. Thankfully the girl decided that cuddle time was over - and forever dead, if Kakashi had any say about it - and removed herself from his person, sitting seiza next to his side. He paused for another moment to glare half-heartedly at his ceiling (Kakashi was blaming the day's events on that water stain in the corner, the demon) before standing with a grunt. "Come on, we'll go see Tsunade-sama."

"What? The- you can't talk to the _Hokage_ about this!"

"Why not?" He questioned, absently stepping over to his kitchenette and opening his miniature fridge. He grimaced. He would definitely have to pick up more food, that eggplant looked rotten. Despairing over his favorite vegetable, Kakashi glanced back as Sakura's sputtering protest came to a halt. The girl was staring nonplussed out his window, hands fisted tightly together even as she breathed deep, fortifying breaths. After a second she glanced over at him, a weak smile lifting at the corner of her lips. "You're really serious."

"Hn."

"Please don't speak like Sasuke." She sighed, crossing her arms and cocking her hip. Kakashi reflected that she emulated the posture of a long-suffering wife pretty well. Seeing as it was a preteen girl doing so, Kakashi felt justified for the shiver of horror racing up his spine. What had that Haruno woman turned her daughter into? This was just disconcerting.

"Alright, let's go. Then we need to go shopping, don't think I didn't see the inside of your fridge."

Seeing as that was his decided course of action anyway, Kakashi trailed after her to the door and slipped on his sandals silently. At least the girl was no longer resisting him. This had actually been easier than he thought, and he only had to deal with a sobbing Sakura for approximately an hour.

"Ah, Kakashi-sensei?" She questioned, hand leaning against the wall as she struggled to pull on her right sandal. They were too tight, maybe a size too small, and he wondered why he never noticed before. He also wondered _why_ she wore missized shoes before remembering that small feet were supposed to be 'feminine' or some such nonsense.

He consciously resisted grunting, not wanting to be compared to the brooding Uchiha yet again. "What?"

"What's going to happen to mother?"

He blinked languidly, pulling his hand away from the shift it had made to his back pocket (and consequently, his Icha Icha). Thinking back critically to that abuse lecture, he racked his brain to what happened to the abusers after they were caught. The Uchiha clan had yet to be massacred at the time, so they had most likely been locked up in the prison the Konoha Military Police Force - more Uchiha than Konoha, considering the amount of members from the clan that had worked there - seeing as they were doubtfully high profile enough to register as convicts for the correctional facility above the volcano. Now that the Uchiha were dead and the police force practically eradicated, Kakashi actually wasn't too sure what would happen. Add in the changes Tsunade had been making since her term as Godaime Hokage began and Kakashi was left in the dark. Maybe he should attend those lectures more often.

"Not sure. A lot has changed since Tsunade-sama took the reins, so we'll have to see."

Nodding, Sakura kept her silence as she followed him out the door, pausing and waiting as he both locked it and activated his traps. A lock wouldn't deter a ninja after all, but the collection of fūinjutsu he had learned from Kushina would at least make any intruder regret entering his apartment without permission. Without further ado the duo left for the Hokage Building at an easy walk, Sakura transmitting tension from every line of her body while Kakashi meandered through the crowds along the footpaths without seemingly a care.

Internally it was a different story seeing as the last Hatake was still reeling from his impulsive actions. He would be taking full responsibility for Sakura, and the result of such an action would probably strip her of her civilian name if Haruno Mebuki was so concerned about their family's status. Sakura would be lost, emotionally damaged, nameless and- well, Kakashi already knew what he would do. He should just start calling her Hatake Sakura already.

 _Fuck, what am I doing?_

 _Adopting a kid, apparently._ Kakashi took it back, he didn't love that little voice in his head. Maybe he should take some counseling session with Sakura while he was at it.

He snorted. _As if._


	3. Chapter 3

**Comfort**

Caramel brown eyes glanced once at the uncomfortable Jōnin standing before her desk before looking down at his anxious genin who was practically hiding behind him. No words had been exchanged while the duo waited for acknowledgment. Seeing as Kakashi had slipped through her open window with Sakura protesting the entire time, Senju Tsunade - Godaime Hokage of Konohagakure - felt inclined to make them wait.

Kakashi coughed.

Tsunade felt her eyes narrow.

A knock at the door drew the attention of the room's occupants, the odd trio watching as Shizune peeked inside the office with arms loaded down by more documents that were _oh so important_ and needed the Hokage's signature. "Tsunade-sama, you better not be- oh. Hatake-san, hello."

"Mm." Kakashi inclined his head in greeting. The pink haired little girl at his side bowed, displaying more manners than her brat of a sensei ever had in Tsunade's presence.

"It seems I have a meeting." Tsunade drawled, half in amusement, half in exasperation.

Shizune snapped her head towards the Sannin, dark eyes wide before turning back to the Jōnin. "Eh? But Hatake avoids this place like the plague, why is he-"

"I need to file form 33F, subset C." Hatake announced. Sakura and Shizune shot him twin looks of confusion, but Tsunade grew still as her brown eyes flickered down to his student yet again in assessment. The girl was wringing her hands - had been since they had arrived - and Tsunade could see the faint traces of burns healed by iryō ninjutsu. The healing was efficient, but a medic of Tsunade's caliber could still sense the soothing chakra that was stimulating Sakura's cells and boosting her healing factor.

"Shizune, get me the documents. It's in the family files."

"Hai, Tsunade-sama." With a confused bow, her long-time student and assistant scurried away. Tsunade herself leaned forward intently, crossing her legs under her desk even as she set her elbows upon its surface and laced her hands together. Balancing her chin upon them, the Godaime rose an eyebrow.

"Report, Hatake."

"I'm charging Haruno Mebuki with child abuse against a minor that has since transformed into an assault against a Konohagakure genin after receiving evidence of maliciously inflicted burns and a confession to past abuse."

"Kakashi-sensei, you don't-" Sakura tried to interrupt, eyes wide in panic before cutting off with an _eep_ as Tsunade turned her attention to the girl.

"...anything else?" Tsunade asked after a moment, taking stock of Hatake's serious demeanor. The brat was treating this meeting with as much seriousness as his accusations called for, a point in his favor. His student's obvious distress at the revelation of her misfortunes were in line with common abuse cases - most children believed the blame to be place on their own shoulders and displayed anguish at the disclosure of their past weaknesses.

"Sakura needs a psych evaluation and therapy courses due to cognitive dissonance." Well, that was a term the Hokage had firmly believed Hatake was ignorant of. What a surprise.

"Oh?"

"She's repressed her kunoichi mindset in favor of the perfect civilian daughter her mother favored." Kakashi clarified, causing Tsunade to withhold a wince because, yeah, she could see where the Copy-Nin was coming from with his therapy recommendation. On that subject, however…

"And what of your own psych evals? Inoichi-san is rather insistent you visit him."

Before the brat could react other than to flinch away, Shizune entered the room. Pale and grim and understanding, she handed over the blank form without comment, smiled reassuringly at the twitching Sakura, and once again left the room silently. Tsunade sent an assessing stare towards the closed door, wondering if she should call the woman in after Hatake left before dismissing it as a later consideration. Looking down at the small stack of papers the Jōnin had asked for, Tsunade spoke.

"You know what could happen." She warned. Her only answer was a growl the likes of which she had failed to hear since Hatake Sakumo's death. Members of the Inuzuka clan could closely emulate the deep-throated sound but the Hatake…

Well, Kakashi may summon ninken, but his clan had always been associated with wolves before any other canine.

"If that happens, register her as a Hatake."

Tsunade dropped the pen she had been fiddling with. "What?"

"What?!" Sakura echoed, her features a disorienting mix of emotions (she was confused, frantic, touched, terrified and oh so many more) that had Tsunade absently wondering if she had ever felt so many emotions when she was the girl's age. She was also startlingly expressive and in painful need of suppression training. Actually, seeing as repressing herself was the main reason Hatake was asking for therapy sessions, maybe a mask like her new father would be a better option. Or maybe Kakashi would rather be her brother? Who knew.

"You realize only a clan head can adopt a new member." Tsunade stated after a moment of staring at Hatake in bewilderment, Sakura copying her actions.

Kakashi shrugged. "I _am_ the Hatake clan head."

 _What?_ Tsunade narrowed her eyes. "...you don't go to those damn meetings."

She would know. She had to listen to the council raving at every decision she made, whining at the budget cuts and the shift of towards better funding for the hospital. Tsunade didn't much care for their opinions, she had been wanting medics on every team of deployed since the Second World War and she would damn well get it now that she was in charge.

Hatake's bland look was explanation enough, the accompanying lifted brow only making him seem impertinent.

Lucky bastard. Seeing as not even she had known he had taken up the Hatake headship, the old farts on the council probably lacked that knowledge as well. No, they most definitely didn't know because they would be bitching about his absence if they did. Leaning back in her chair (her nice, cozy, _expensive_ chair because Tsunade spent more time in this office than out of it so she would be _comfortable_ , dammit) in irritation, she waved her hand nonchalantly. "Minato-san saw to it, didn't he?"

"Aah." He nodded.

Sakura just looked confused and worried. Understandable, Tsunade wouldn't know what was happening if she had been replaced with her genin self either.

"Alright, brat. Tell me what happened to your hands."

Kakashi followed her stare, single visible eye resting upon his student and seeming to soften. Leaning down slightly, the Hatake patted Sakura's head in a manner reminiscent to a ninken. "It's alright, Sakura-chan. We'll get some anmitsu after this is all over, okay?"

Emerald eyes narrowed and Tsunade watched curiously as Sakura glared suspiciously up at the man who had pointedly took a step away. "You hate sweets."

"You don't, though." He noted, tilting his head with his eye squinted shut in a smile.

Tsunade wasn't sure whether to be amused at their display, or disgusted with the underlying affection seeping throughout her office. Before she could decide, the genin turned to her, and began detailing the events of the last day and a half and skimming over past mental abuses and a few incidents of slaps and other such physically damaging episodes since the Chunin Exam invasion. It was far from the worse abusive situation Tsunade had learned of (and she knew of so, so many due to her role as a medic-nin) but the appearance of Sakura's inner personality was what made the entire case so alarming. According to the girl 'Inner', as Sakura had dubbed her, had been within her mind since she was eight years old. It correlated with the time of the Uchiha Massacre, when Haruno Mebuki's demands for Sakura's future betrothal and instruction into becoming a 'desirable bride' had increased in frequency. If Tsunade had to guess the cause, it would most likely be from the social vacuum the Uchiha's absence had caused, leaving new families to jockey for higher positions within their society.

By the time Sakura had stopped speaking Tsunade was completing the emancipation forms, eyes constantly flickering up to the girl to ensure her that the Hokage really was paying attention. Hatake was notably silent, his ever-present porn absent and his hands buried in his pants pockets as he leaned up against the back wall.

The Hokage let a few seconds of silence stretch when Sakura finished, waiting as the girl composed herself, wiping away any trace of tears. Tsunade was fairly impressed how well the girl was taking it. She had only confided in her woes for the first time mere hours ago and now she was taking action into solving them - though it was mostly due to Hatake's influence. She was still reeling from the fact that the brat had went to one of the instructional lectures held for those of Chūnin or Jōnin ranking and actually _listened_. Chūnin were advised to attend them due to the somewhat infrequent assignments to the Academy there was a chance of receiving at a time when the usual teachers were otherwise occupied. If someone reached Jōnin without drawing the short straw for teaching the little hellions, the lectures were recommended due to their eventual task as Jōnin sensei. Though there were a few notable exceptions for those the psych division declared too mentally unstable to care for children while also maintaining enough sanity to work in the field. Mitarashi Anko was one such example. Kakashi would most likely be another, had he ever turned up to his scheduled sessions. Why the Sandaime had still decided to give the man Team 7, Tsunade failed to comprehend.

Hatake appeared to be doing a good job, though. Especially if the way Sakura shuffled up to his side was any sign of his teaching skill. Sure, he was obviously uncomfortable with the hug she tried to grace him with - he was even pushing her away with a gentle but stern hand clamped on her shoulder - but there was clear affection in both of their underlying actions. The way he kept checking for tears in her eyes, the way she seemed to analyze his level of discomfort and the amount of touch she was allowed to get away with in response before acting upon it…

Their relationship was a careful balancing act between a determined preteen and a social defunct adult.

Deciding that yes, she most definitely _was_ amused with the duo, Tsunade finished the emancipation forms with the quick strokes of her signature. Slapping down the official stamp of Konohagakure's Hokage, the last of the Senju cleared her throat to gain her ninja's attention.

"I'll have a Chūnin deliver these in the morning. Sakura." The genin quickly snapped to attention, straightening her spine as best she could. Hatake's attention only sharpened in response, his posture still slouching and as disrespectful as ever. Really, how had the man ended up with a student such as Sakura, Tsunade didn't know. She was silently envious too, Shizune had been a curious little imp with no regards for boundaries.

"Hai, Hokage-sama?"

"I recommend you go home and tell your mother you're being assigned a last minute C-rank before packing away anything of importance. I doubt you could freely return there after she receives the news."

The most likely former-Haruno winced. "Hai, Hokage-sama."

"Hatake."

"Hn?"

The Godaime watched the elbow Sakura shot into the Jōnin's unflinching side with a raised eyebrow. Hatake failed to react even as the genin pursed her lips in dissatisfaction, glaring at him pointedly.

"Don't screw this up."

"Hai, Hokage-sama." He agreed, deferential even while the amused look he shot his student ruined any appearance of subservience.

Tsunade let out a hum before waving a pointed hand, pushing the finished forms into her outbox. "Leave."

She started on some of the papers Shizune had dropped off earlier while the two retreated, not looking up as they exited through the door like civilized people instead of using her window as an exit just as they had used it for an entrance. Now if only she could break Jiraiya of the habit.

"Tsunade-sama?"

Brown eyes glanced up as Shizune once again peeked into the room. Smiling soothingly at her long-time student (almost her daughter, to be completely honest), Tsunade motioned for her to enter the room.

The brunette wasted no time, quickly stepping up to the desk and hugging Tonton securely against her chest even as she let out a hiss and the tiny pig let out a strangled oink of protest at her tightening grip. " _Child abuse_?"

"The Hatake brat actually did a good job reacting to it, all things considered." Tsunade agreed.

While Shizune started mumbling about the 'poor girl' and 'despicable mothers', Tsunade once again laced her fingers together and rested her chin upon them while she stared at her closed door. Her assessment on Hatake was honest, yes, but she wondered how things would proceed from here. Especially if he went through with his plans of adopting the girl.

 _Well_ , a cheerful thought that was as equally malicious came to the forefront of her mind, _if he does go through with it, he can't avoid the council meetings anymore_.

Tsunade was hard pressed to restrain the evil cackle curling up her throat.


End file.
